Chris Hoy and Gareth Southgate were among the famous faces in Wimbledon’s royal box on day six of the Championships, with Hoy drawing a loud cheer when he was announced alongside Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Steve Redgrave. The day also brought Gareth Southgate into view, as he was photographed waving to the crowds in a pale jacket, blue shirt and black trousers.
That high-profile turnout came as the tournament’s Centre Court area filled with other sporting names, including Phil Foden, Ella Toone, Michelle Agyemang and Alex Greenwood, while Vogue’s former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Sienna Miller, Simone Ashley, Andrew Garfield and Monica Barbaro were also spotted at Wimbledon on Saturday. It was a reminder that day six is as much about who is watching as who is playing, and the royal box carried that atmosphere from the start.
The crowd’s attention was not limited to celebrity arrivals. Just after 1pm, service stewards and sporting legends were honoured with a standing ovation, and Clare Balding told the crowd to show their appreciation for the Armed Forces. Corporal Gillian Craig later said the moment was overwhelming, adding: “I cry every year.”
For Arthur Fery, the day carried a different kind of pressure. Britain’s last single hope on Saturday was due to face Zizou Bergs on Court 18 after reaching the third round with a four-set victory over Otto Virtanen on Thursday, but he said he had not realised the Princess of Wales was watching part of his match. That detail mattered because it showed how easily the tournament’s private and public worlds overlap: a player can be lifted by a famous presence and still not know it until later.
Iga Swiatek was scheduled to go head to head with Alexandra Eala on Centre Court, keeping the day’s attention spread across the main stages of the Championships. By then, the royal box had already done its job for Wimbledon today: it turned a routine day of matches into one of the week’s most visible gatherings of sport, ceremony and celebrity.
